Cabinets with those nifty and evocative label-mount/handles and rich patina inhabited the science labs of my high-school years in considerable numbers. Unfortunately I was a high school teacher for too brief a period to inveigle my way into a position where I could inherit decrepit equipment. Which is a shame because they are beautiful.

That cabinet is awesome and perfect for minis. It's probably not a card catalog cabinet, as each row would normally be it's own drawer or at least have its own label. (http://www.heidihoerman.com/museumca/cardstorage.html)

Usage seems to be inconsistent but "Letter Filing Cabinet", "Horizontal Filing Cabinet", and "Desktop Filing Cabinet" all bring up artifacts that are similar to what you've got here.

There is also the very cool Apothecary Chest/Cabinet which has the square drawers. Unfortunately those have been seized upon by antique collectors so are harder to come by and more expensive when you do find them.

"Apothecary cabinet" is what pottery barn sells as replicas , but this isn't an actual apothecary cabinet. It's not quite as sturdy as something made by a professional cabinet maker and I think those interior dividers have the look of repurposed cheese boxes or such. I think you have a one of a kind, utilitarian box made for a collector of some sort. They're not that different from the ones you find in the back rooms of museums, when you start to dig through old stone tools.

If you've got money to burn try google imaging "spool cabinets" and you'll see these perfect old dry good display cabinets. I've coveted one ever since I was 14 for minis.

I use them to, if only to be able to pickup the whole stack with one arm - also great for gaming on the go! I highly recommend lining the sides of the crates with cardboard, as the edges of the holes quickly tare away at the book covers.